Riverbank Cultivation in the Lower Omo Valley

Intensive Farming System of the Karo, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

The Karo, one of Omotic language groups, inhabit a central part of the Lower Omo Valley, Southwestern Ethiopia. Although they were originally pastoral people, they live now along the Omo River as cultivators. Riverbank Cultivation, which is their indigenous and principal subsistence activity, takes advantage of the riverine environment and is adapted to the semiarid area. This paper intends to describe the cultural practices of the riverbank cultivation and characterize it from the technical and management point of view.
During the dry season, they make use of the slopes of riverbanks as their main field which are inundated at the rains. The difference of the water level between two seasons is at least 15m. This natural irrigation brings high productivity and permanent farming system by the abundance of undergroundwater and neutralization of salinity in the rains, together with technical options adaptive to semi-arid climate, such as non-cultivation before seeding, high concentrated planting, and some garden types related to the water level.
Intensive character of Karo agriculture caused by temporal and spatial restrictive factors plays two important roles on their economic life. One is that it makes possible the multiple subsistence system in this harsh area. The other is that the barter trade of sorghum with livestock establishes the peaceful relationships with their warlike neighbours and keeps their identity as “nomads”.
In such a context, through comprative studies of riverines societies, I intend to suggest the possibilities of hydraulic farming systems in arid and semi-arid Africa.